FOOTBALL

O'Neill 'not sure what to make of' Celtic, so what are the issues?

September 10, 2026 07:39

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O'Neill 'not sure what to make of' Celtic, so what are the issues?
WHAT HAPPENED
Celtic scraped past St Johnstone to make it six wins from six in the Scottish Premiership, Mika Baur’s first goal for the club providing the decisive strike. Manager O'Neill fielded a heavily rotated side, handing a debut to on-loan Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, Oliver Sorensen his first start (in place of Benjamin Nygren), a rare appearance for centre-back Dane Murray, and recalls for Sebastian Tounekti and Kasper Hogh.

After the match O'Neill admitted he was unsure how to judge the team’s performance, saying "I'm not sure what to make of it, really," and telling Sky Sports "we're still well short of it."

KEY CONTEXT
- O'Neill is experimenting with personnel and positions as he prepares for a congested run: a home Europa League tie with Ferencvaros next Thursday is sandwiched around a Premier Sports Cup meeting with Rangers on Sunday and the league fixture against Rangers a week later.
- Camilo Duran, who has begun the season strongly, was a notable omission from the starting XI and came on late; O'Neill said he wanted to test whether the team could manage without him but suggested the answer is probably no, citing Duran’s work off the ball and high rate of pressing.
- Kasper Hogh’s profile is that of a poacher; he had very limited involvement in the box before half-time and O'Neill urged forwards to create their own space in the penalty area rather than expecting perfect service.